‘He’s the best guy’: Georgia Stanway learning from mentor Luke Chadwick

Georgia Stanway trains with England at Central Coast Stadium in New South Wales before Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final against Australia. “Once or twice a week, I speak with a mentor and that’s something that I’ve done for a few years now,” says the Bayern Munich midfielder. Photograph: Zac Goodwin/PA

Georgia Stanway pauses for a moment. “I’m not afraid to say it,” she says, almost to herself as much as to anyone in the room. It’s her own short affirmation that this, the eve of a World Cup semi-final against the tournament co-hosts Australia, is the right time to open up on how she has dealt with problems in the past and now knows how to remain calm.

“Once or twice a week, I speak with a mentor and that’s something that I’ve done for a few years now. I’m not afraid to say it.” Then the pause. “I went through a time at [Manchester] City where it was a little bit up and down in terms of my mentality, my position. Everything was changing, and that person was my go-to in terms of getting clarity on my position [and] what I wanted to achieve in that season.”